I've studied the film industry, both academically and informally, and with an emphasis in box office analysis, for 28 years. I have extensively written about all of said subjects for the last ten years. My outlets for film criticism, box office commentary, and film-skewing scholarship have included The Huffington Post, Salon, and Film Threat. Follow me at @ScottMendelson and "like" The Ticket Booth on Facebook.

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'Expendables 3' Trailer Sells Improved Action

Pardon the snarky headline, but it’s not purely out of jest. What’s most striking about this third (and presumably final) trailer for Nu Image and Millennium Films’ The Expendables III is that it actually moves away from selling the massive cast and actually sells the movie that’s being offered that happens to contain said cast. The first two teasers understandably sold the “all-star roll call” gimmick, which makes sense. The franchise’s biggest hook each time out is who they got to play this time out. This time distributor Lionsgate is selling the notion that this might actually be a solid action film, with a real sense of scope and scale. Imagine that, an Expendables film selling itself as featuring strong (possibly exceptional) action!

The first film was supposed to be the great action-hero team-up of our time, but it was mostly just Stallone and whomever he could get to come along. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Bruce Willis showed up in cameos and Dolph Lundgren had a blast, but the actual action stars were frankly mostly not icons of the 1980′s but somewhat newer action stars (Jason Statham, Jet Li) or actors who happened to have an action movie or two between them (Terry Crews, Steve Austin, Randy Couture). The second film gave us the class reunion promised the first time around, with gun-toting appearances by Schwarzenegger and Stallone, a crowd-pleasing cameo by Chuck Norris, and a surprisingly terrific turn by Jean Claude Van Damme as the heavy. This time around, almost everyone you could think of save Bruce Willis (wanted too much money) and Steven Seagal (no one likes him) has shown up to play.

The first film promised something resembling actual drama, with Mickey Rourke gravely intoning about dying for something important, while the second film (accurately) sold a campy romp into nostalgia. What this film sells, aside from the gigantic cast, is the possibility that it will actually be a strong action picture. We actually get what looks to be several impressive action stunts and a few potentially inventive action set-pieces, along with Antonio Banderas (who seems to be confined to a single major action sequence) appearing to be in much better shape than those in his relative age bracket. Stallone directed the first film while 90′s action vet Simon West (Con Air, Tomb Raider) directing the second. This time around sees relative newbie Patrick Hughes taking the reins. His 2010 feature debut, Red Hill, is supposed to be pretty solid (I will make a point to watch it before August) and he has already grabbed a gig as the director of the English-language remake of The Raid.

The first film tried for pathos, something akin to a redemption of the over-the-hill 1980′s action heroism that showed that America could still be the good guy when it merely acted like the good guy (it was the antithesis to Stallone’s own uber-bleak and outright apologetic Rambo). But it wasn’t really a “good” movie or even an exceptional action picture. The second film just gave the audience the nostalgia-strewn “thrills” they wanted the last time around, to arguably its detriment. The best thing that Expendables III could bring to the table is actually having all of these iconic actors, including Harrison Ford, Wesley Snipes, and Mel Gibson as the baddie, engaging in a genuinely thrilling action picture.

In terms of box office, there is a chance that the franchise’s reputation for not being all that good could eventually have an impact, to the tune of not quite reaching the $275 million and $304 million respective totals of the first two entries. But I imagine most people walking into the second one knew what they were doing, so one trip down memory lane for a sub-genre (the uber-macho non-fantasy action spectacular that doesn’t debut straight-to-DVD) every two years is no small hardship. I am looking forward to the film more now than I was before this morning’s trailer. That’s of course the point of marketing, so kudos for the strong if unexceptional trailer.

As individuals, Stallone, Schwarzenegger, Willis, and Ford may not be action stars anymore. But together they are more-than-worth a little faith. The Expendables III, starring Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Arnold Schwarzenegger Terry Crews Randy Couture, Kellen Lutz, Mel Gibson, Harrison Ford, Wesley Snipes, Antonio Bandaras, and iconic action movie bad-ass Kelsey Grammar, opens from Lionsgate on August 8th. As always, we’ll see. In the meantime, aside from obvious choice Nicolas Cage, who do you want to play in the theoretical Expendables 4?

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